


Achievement Unlocked: Immortal

by Goose_Goddess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-06 00:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5396354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goose_Goddess/pseuds/Goose_Goddess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Character death isn't permanent!</p><p>This is my entry for the 9/10 AUIdeas Advent Calendar. Here's the prompt:<br/>THE PHOENIX IMMORTAL AU</p><p>After Character A once made a deal, they became as immortal as they come, but under a specific condition: in order to remain immortal, they must find an ingenious and original way to kill themself on every new moon without repeating a previous method. If they do accidentally use a previous method, they will be doomed for all eternity.</p><p>Sure enough, Character B finds a small notebook while they are rummaging through some belongings that has a curiously deadly list scrawled in the handwriting of Character A.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Achievement Unlocked: Immortal

**Author's Note:**

> Character death isn't permanent!
> 
> This is my entry for the 9/10 AUIdeas Advent Calendar. Here's the prompt:  
> THE PHOENIX IMMORTAL AU
> 
> After Character A once made a deal, they became as immortal as they come, but under a specific condition: in order to remain immortal, they must find an ingenious and original way to kill themself on every new moon without repeating a previous method. If they do accidentally use a previous method, they will be doomed for all eternity.
> 
> Sure enough, Character B finds a small notebook while they are rummaging through some belongings that has a curiously deadly list scrawled in the handwriting of Character A.

The first time Potter showed up in St. Mungo’s, Draco had been surprised to see him. A pair of frantic Aurors rushed in, levitating Potter’s still body between them, looking grim.

Draco waved them to the first open bed and was running diagnostics on Potter, while yelling for assistance. He heard one of the other Mediwizards asking the Aurors what had happened, but tuned out their response of a spell striking Potter and knocking him off a roof. He cast spell after spell, getting more and more frantic. No heart rate. Minimal brain function. No responses at all. Potter was dead.

Draco felt the first flush of panic fill his chest. He could not be the one to pronounce Potter dead. No one would believe he’d done his best. It would end his career. He ran desperately through ever spell he knew, trying to think of something to try.

Nearly ready to rip his own hair out, he turned towards the other Mediwizard, not even sure what he was going to say.”

“Thank Merlin.” The nearest Auror said, looking past Draco.

Draco turned to see what the Auror was looking at. To his amazement, Potter was sitting up and groaning. Draco re-ran all the diagnostics. All normal. 

Draco couldn’t believe it. He tried to keep Potter overnight for observation, but he couldn’t find anything actually wrong with the man. And he refused to stay, insisting he was fine and needed to get back to work. Draco watched him leave the ward stunned.

The second time Potter showed up was about a month later. This time, he was covered in blood and again, no heart beat and minimal brain function. Followed by a gasp, and him sitting up perfectly fine. 

The third time, Draco had had enough. When Potter refused to stay overnight, refused to come back in for a check up, and refused to even talk about it, he knew something was up. 

Finding out where Harry lived wasn’t as hard as he expected. Luna Lovegood was more than happy to give him directions to Potter’s house when he explained how worried he was about Potter’s habit of showing up dead. When it came to Potter’s health, his friends were also concerned. 

Talking to Potter, however, didn’t go easily. He just kept insisting that he was fine, that being an Auror was dangerous work, and that it was to be expected that he kept showing up in the hospital. Since he was one of the better Aurors, they sent him out on all the most dangerous cases. 

Draco finally gave up, realizing that Potter wasn’t going to tell him what was going on. He let Potter shake his hand and see him out the door. 

He had made it all the way down the front walk and nearly to the street when a loud pop announced the appearance of an ancient House Elf. 

“Healer Malfoy,” the wizened elf said. “Kreacher has a book for you.”

Surprised, Draco reached to take the small notebook that the house elf held out to him. “Thank you Kreacher.” 

The elf nodded and dispirited, leaving Draco standing puzzled and holding a small battered notebook.

He flipped through the pages of the notebook curiously. The handwriting was familiar. It was Potter’s atrocious scrawl. It was a list, with some items crossed out. He frowned, wondering why the House Elf had felt the need to hand him Potter’s To Do list. Then he started reading the items.

Neck Broken by fall from roof (crossed out)

Throat slashed by glass (crossed out)

Struck by car (crossed out)

The remaining, un-crossed out items were similar. Different methods of getting killed.

Draco stared at the list in horror. He realized that the first three crossed out methods matched the visits Potter had to the hospital. Or rather, what he looked like when he arrived. When he sat up there were no injuries left.

Draco turned, made his way back up to the door and knocked.

Harry answered, with a smile on his face. “Forget something Malfoy?”

Draco simply held up the notebook.

Harry froze and stared at it in shock. “Where did you get that?” 

“Your house elf.” Draco said.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. Well, you’d better come in.” He opened the door wider and led the way to the living room and sat down. Draco sat near him.

Harry frowned, looking down into his lap. “It was an accident.” He said eventually. “I was doing some research for a case, and I came across a strange spell. I translated the name to be something like Phoenix Unchained. I read it out loud and I accidentally cast it on myself.”

Draco nodded. “And?”

“It made me immortal. But there’s a catch. I have to die a different way every new moon. If I don’t, someone near to me dies. When I die, I come back. When someone else dies, they’re just gone.” Potter frowned. “I have to keep coming up with new ways to die.”

Draco looked down at the list. “How different do they have to be?” 

Potter looked at him. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, if you get hit by a car, does that rule out getting hit by all cars? Or can you get hit by a Mini Cooper this month and Fiat next month? If you fall out a window is that it? Or can you fall out a 3rd floor window one month and a fourth floor window the next?”

Potter frowned. “Hermione seems to think it’s pretty specific.”

Draco grinned. “Well then, I think I can help. We just need to use our imagination on these ways to die. Otherwise, you’re going to run out of methods before a year is up. And we’re going to have to find a better way to handle this than having you show up in St. Mungo’s every month. Someone is going to notice.”

Potter smiled. “You mean someone else.”


End file.
